For our Barque Team Dinner this summer, I had decided on a tropical theme, so I knew that PINEAPPLES would be the way to go for decorations.
Ultimately I decided that painting only the tops would be easiest – and since I had less than a week to plan the entire party and menu – that sounded like a good plan.
If you’re going to paint your own pineapples like I did, you’ll need:
- pineapples with pretty crowns (that’s the green part on top) – not too bent or torn up
- cans of colorful spray paint
- a few plastic tablecloths ( I got mine from the Dollar store)
First, spread out the tablecloth on a table or flat surface, leaving enough room to cover for overspray at the top but plenty of extra tablecloth on the bottom.
Place the pineapple on the tablecloth.
Bring up the loose tablecloth from the bottom to cover the base of the pineapple. Just tuck it in and carefully wrap it around the sides so it’s nice and snug and protected from the paint.
Lightly spray the crown of the pineapple with your desired paint color. If you’re going for an hombre effect, use the lighter color first. Be sure to move quickly and make several passes at different angles. You’ll also want to make sure you get it from the “top” angle…
You can let it dry and then do the other side, or gently roll the pineapple over inside it’s little tablecloth to get to the opposite side to pain – totally depends on how much time or patience you have to sit and wait for paint to dry. ( I had none.)
After you have your base coat, use a darker color in the same color scheme (or a coordinating color) to lightly spray just the edges of the crown. You don’t want too much paint or it will cover up your first coat – you just want enough to give the color a little depth.
Untuck the pineapple from the tablecloth and allow it to dry completely. Then marvel at your handiwork.
(colors shown in this photo from left to right: yellow + orange, hot pink + red, aqua + royal blue, orange + pink)
These colorful and festive pineapples make a great centerpiece together or a fun addition to a bar cart or entry table. They’re perfect for a tropical soiree – and they’re so darn easy, they’ll probably become your go-to summer party decoration.
